Twiztid, Blaze

War Paint, EKOH

Twiztid

Pop music is a bloated, rotting corpse and The Wicked Shit is the undead pulse hidden deep within. If you look into the shadows, past the smoke and mirrors of MTV and playlist radio, and into the cold, hard streets, you'll find the underground of music. A place where innovation thrives and inspiration drives. Unapologetic, unique artists have carved a niche for fans fed up with the glamour-mag faces and spoon-fed lyrics of modern music, and offer them something more.

Where most rappers celebrate the urban lifestyle with the same old themes and the same old image, Twiztid peel away the gloss and expose the innards. With an oversized butcher knife. They take the hard edge of theatrical rock-and-roll and temper it with gritty hip-hop to create a musical monstrosity so dangerously real it must be hidden with facepaint. These aren't casual gangsters; their painted personas let them explore the darkest corners of the human psyche, from superhero fantasies to horror film legacies. With their ruthless raps, they can explore every recess of their audience's experiences, every sentimental reflection and every sinister urge. By becoming something unreal, they are free to be real. Whether it's on-stage devastation or home stereo infiltration, Twiztid's music will take you somewhere you've never been before. The scariest part is when you don't want to come back…

The History of Twiztid

Madrox and Monoxide, the mindsick masterminds behind Twiztid, have always been driven by impulse. Some might say compulsion. Still others might call it a "homicidal tendency" or "clear case of insanity," but the jury's still out on that one. Literally. In fact, that's all that the lawyers will let us say about that.

Uncovering the truth of Twiztid's early days depends on who you ask, which personality is in control, and which law enforcement agency you represent. Some speculate their first performance on the stage of life was in a petri dish at a science lab. Other sources claim a history of abandonment, rejection, and social isolation, but those are the boring sources. All fingers seem to point at Detroit's east side, but any real records from that area have been destroyed or confiscated as evidence. Their earliest sightings are scattered but consistent: they usually involve microphones, and they all involve terror, confusion, and an almost hypnotic crowd reaction. And there's usually a good beat. No matter what incidents or influences explain the origins of Twiztid, one thing is certain: their faces ain't the only thing they're hiding.

These are the facts as they can be traced: The duo came out of high school right into Detroit's emerging underground rap scene. It was the early days of the "horrorcore" genre, which would invade hip-hop as "The Wicked Shit," and they fit right in. They paid their deadly dues in several recording and performing groups, and one of them got noticed by another act making waves in the Wicked well; ICP thought Madrox and Monoxide would be a natural fit for Psychopathic Records—like the belt on a chainsaw, or an ax in a wound.

Blaze

He's not just a gangster, he's not just a persona, he's a real guy who's been driven to these things, a perceptive, sensitive individual who chooses to wear facepaint and rap the Wicked Shit. The best way to discover Blaze is through his music.